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LIVES SHAPED BY MOUNTAINS AND SEAS

MOST PEOPLE who have read anything at all about Japan are familiar with the basic facts: Japan is a small, island nation, mountainous and poor in natural resources, populated by a racially homogenous people who speak a common language. These superficially factual notions have been set forth by both Japanese and non-Japanese, and have become widely disseminated and accepted. The problem with such conventional thinking, as with all stereotypes, is that it obscures a reality much more complex and far more interesting.

Japan is indeed a small country. With an area of 145,800 square miles, Japan is smaller than California and a bit larger than Germany. However, its islands extend nearly 2,000 miles from north to south, comparable to the distance from the Canadian border to the tip of Florida. This geographic spread gives Japan a climatic diversity unmatched in countries of comparable size. Although their precise origins remain unclear, the Japanese have developed a rich and diverse culture that is clearly a blend of East Asian, Polynesian, and now Western influences. While it is true that the Japanese for the most part are ethnically and linguistically homogenous, geographical and climatic diversity, together with the twin barriers of mountains and seas, have divided the country into distinct regions with differing lifestyles, foods, dialects, and craft traditions.

A mythological account of the creation of the Japanese islands is recorded in Japan's oldest existing chronicle, the Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters), completed in A.D. 712. According to this source, the deities Izanagi and Izanami stood upon the Floating Bridge of Heaven and dipped a jeweled spear into the ocean that covered the world below. Brine dripping from the spear created an island to which the gods descended and made love; their offspring became the other major islands.

The geological account of the formation of the Japanese islands is less romantic, although no less interesting. It is generally agreed that in geological terms they have not long been islands, but at one time formed a mountain range on the eastern rim of the Asian continent, joined at the north to Siberia and at the south to Korea, with the Sea of Japan a huge inland lake. Up-thrusting mountains and subsiding seabeds separated this range from the mainland and the individual islands from each other, perhaps as recently as 20,000 years ago.

This cataclysmic geological rearrangement attests to Japan's precarious location on what is colorfully termed the Pacific Fire Ring, a line of intense seismic activity that circles the Pacific Ocean. Japan has more than 40 active volcanoes, and several hundred more have been active in recent history. No one is more aware than the Japanese of the fragility of the cool crust that covers our earth's molten interior. Natural thermal springs abound, and scores of tourist spots feature bubbling pools or jets of sulfurous steam shooting from the ground. Earthquakes, from minor tremors to prolonged, window-rattling shakes, are common occurrences; nearly a tenth of the energy released in the world each year by earthquakes is concentrated in or around Japan.

Located in the temperate monsoon zone of East Asia, Japan is also strongly influenced by seasonal weather patterns. In winter, cold winds blow eastward off the Asian continent, dropping heavy snowfalls on the Sea of Japan side of the islands, while the Pacific coastal side, protected by the high central mountains, enjoys clear skies and moderate temperatures. In summer, warm winds blowing northward from the South Pacific bring typhoons and heavy rains, especially to the southern regions of the country. The transitions between summer and winter also bring rain, especially the long wet season in late spring known as tsuyu, literally "plum rains."

Together these geological and environmental factors played a large part in shaping the society, culture, and beliefs or the Japanese. The desirability and necessity of harmony with nature permeated every aspect of Japanese life, and these attitudes are clearly manifested in the rituals and beliefs of the indigenous religion of Shinto. Literally the "way of the gods," Shinto posits the existence of kami, deities resident in almost every unusual or prominent natural feature—mountains and rivers, even large trees and rocks. These spirits must be appeased through offerings of rice and sake, and entertained with dances and festivals. Above all, Shinto reveres fertility and purity, both closely associated with water, a resource with which Japan is abundantly blessed. Flowing mountain streams symbolize the flow of human existence, and the power of water to bring life to the rice paddies is readily apparent. The ocean, identified as the source of life in the myth of Izanagi and Izanami, also provides food. The warm Japan Current and the cold Okhotsk Current meet off the coast of Japan, creating extremely fertile fishing grounds. This abundant supply of seafood, along with the Buddhist taboo on eating meat, has resulted in Japan's having the highest per capita consumption of marine products in the world.

In mountainous Japan, terraced fields are used for a variety of crops, including rice, tea, and even potatoes, growing here near Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture.

Japan's geographical position as an island at the periphery of the Chinese cultural orbit has also been an important factor in its cultural shaping. When China's influence was strong, channels of communication were open, and the Japanese engaged in wholesale cultural borrowing. Conversely, when China was weak, intercourse was disrupted, and Japan returned to being insular and isolationist. During the periods of borrowing, the Japanese showed little regard for the consequences of integrating outside influences into their own culture; periods of isolation, on the other hand, were characterized by reworking and adaptation, making what was borrowed not only harmonize with what was indigenous, but making it become Japanese.

The same waves of borrowing and assimilation have characterized Japan's relations with the West, and have given rise to the observation that the Japanese at times appear slavishly imitative, while at other times seem chauvinistically aloof. This reasoning has been extended to explain perceived alternating attitudes of inferiority and superiority toward foreigners. These observations may be useful in helping us form a mental image of the Japanese, but upon close examination, they do little more than describe the broad range of emotional responses that any close-knit community might have toward outsiders. The Japanese, like all nationalities, are products of hereditary and environmental factors. To the extent that these shaping factors are complex, interesting, and unique, so are the Japanese.

Solidified lava flows have now joined Sakurajima, an active volcano in Kagoshima Bay, to the rest of Kyushu.

Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, is typical of many Japanese port cities in that it is tightly nestled between mountains and the sea, Kobe's port has modern harbor facilities capable of handling over 10,000 vessels annually.

Nagano Prefecture, located in the middle of the Japan Alps, is known as the Roof of Japan.

Although Japan is one of the world's most densely populated nations, the northern island of Hokkaido retains wide-open spaces.

Rice farmers in Nagano Prefecture tend their fields in late summer. Although per capita consumption continues to decrease, rice remains a dietary staple.

A Hokkaido fisherwoman strips a net of small walleye, destined for use in fish cakes called kamaboko.

Office workers discuss a new project. A strong sense of group loyalty leads to teamwork at the workplace, from the assembly line to the boardroom.

A saké maker lifts the steaming rice that is the main ingredient of Japan's national drink. Quality sake is said to have five major characteristics: sweetness, sourness, pungency, bitterness, and astringency.

A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE

Japan's history is not accorded importance in the West commensurate with Japan's importance to the West. This neglect is unfortunate, obviously, because Westerners are ignoring a useful tool for understanding the Japanese. It is doubly unfortunate because Westerners are also missing out on a good story. The history of Japan is an ancient and fascinating one, replete with stories of nobility and baseness, triumph and tragedy, romance and adventure. Its heroes and villains, their successes and failures, we can readily understand and marvel at, despite a lack of shared cultural values and traditions.

The atomic bomb that exploded over Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, eventually killed over 200,000 people.

Many works of Natsume Soseki (1867-1916), one of Japan's most famous writers, have been translated into English.

The well-known print Rain at Shono is from the series Fifty-three Stages of the Tokaido by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858).

Showa Era

1926-1989

Saw the militarization of Japan, culminating in disastrous defeat in World War II.

1964 Japan hosted Olympic games.

Heisei Era

1989-present

On the death of Hirohito, Akihito ascended the throne.

Taisho Era

1912-1926

Characterized by rapid economic growth and political instability.

1914-1918 Japan joined the Allies in World War I.

1923 Earthquake and ensuing fires destroyed most of Tokyo and Yokohama, taking over 100,000 lives.

Meiji Era

1868-1912

Restoration to power of the Meiji emperor marked the beginning of Japan's transition to a modern industrial state.

18765 Samurai barred from wearing swords.

1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War ended in destruction of the Russian fleet.

Tokugawa (Edo)

Period 1600-1868

For much of the period, contact with outsiders banned, except with Dutch at Nagasaki.

1603 Tokugawa family of shoguns gained control of the government. 1853 Commodore Perry and his "black ships" arrived to forcibly open Japan

Azuchi-Momoyama

Period 1568-1600

Called Japan's Age of Grandeur because of cultural achievements, the period was marked by civil war.

1582 Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) having just won control of central Japan, committed hara-kiri when betrayed by his own vassal.

Muromachi Period

1336-1568

Marked by weak central government and incessant warfare but flourishing art and technology.

1338 Ashikaga family gained control of Japan and moved shogunate to the Muromachi district in Kyoto.

Kamakura Period

1185-1336

A new warrior class came to power, with the shogun ruling in the name of the emperor.

1192 Yoritomo became shogun. 1281 An invading Mongol force of 140,000 men destroyed in a furious storm called kamikaze, literally "divine winds."

Yayoi pottery often depicted people and animals.

The figurine called Venus of Jomon, at 10.6 inches tall, was larger than most and probably prized.

A great statesman of the Asuka period, Prince Shotoku (574-622) was active as a government administrator, political theorist, and promoter of Buddhism.

Jomon Period

ca. 8000-300 B.C.

Neolithic hunters and gatherers made rope-patterned pottery.

660 B.C. Traditional date of accession of first emperor, Jimmu.

Yayoi Period

ca. 300 B.C.-A.D. 300

Agriculturalists forged tools and made pottery on a wheel.

A.D. 57 First recorded Japanese mission to China.

Tumulus Period

ca. 300-552

Dominated by a martial dynasty; named for massive burial mounds.

Asuka Period

552-710

Extensive revision of laws and regulations, based on Buddhism and Confucianism,

552 Buddhism introduced into Japan.

Nara Period

710-794

Court moved to Heijokyo (now Nara), a new capital modeled on the Chinese capital at Changan.

712 Kojiki (Record of Ancient Matters) compiled.

720 Nihon Shoki (Chronicle of Japan) compiled.

752 Great Buddha at Nara dedicated.

Heian Period

794-1185

Institution of the court reached its zenith during the period, which saw a flourishing of art and high culture.

794 Emperor Kammu established new capital in Heian-kyo (now Kyoto), ca. 1015 The Tale of Genji, the world's first novel, completed.

Minamoto no Yoritomo (1147-1199) led the campaigns in which his Minamoto clan defeated its archenemy, the Taira. Yoritomo was the first to take the title of shogun, initiating seven centuries of feudal warrior-government rule.

Daily life at the Heian court at its zenith, shown here in Lady Murasaki's Diary Scroll, saw a preoccupation with the minutest details of cultural, aesthetic, and ceremonial matters. The period also witnessed the transition from the wholesale adoption of Chinese models to the development of a distinct and highly refined Japanese culture.

Nagasaki was first opened to the outside world in 1571, initially as a trading post with the Portuguese, later with the Chinese, English, and Dutch. The screen shows a Japanese painter's exaggerated portrait of foreigners wearing strange hats and baggy pants.

Kyoto's Aoi Matsuri, which originated in the 7th century, features ox-driven carriages, a means of transportation for the nobility of the Heian period.